Auld Lang Syne
by Absol-utely ridiculous
Summary: It was an accident. - Contestshipping. Happy New Year, lovelies!


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that I'm writing about, sadly.**

_A.N. __Auld Lang Syne is that traditional New Year's song that plays when the ball drops, and it's important to the celebration, but for this fic, I recommend playing Featherstone by The Paper Kites, because that's what was playing when I wrote it!_

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_Auld Lang Syne_

Summary: It was definitely probably an accident. Maybe.

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It was an accident.

Drew was convincing himself of this when the countdown for new years began.

"Ten," said the crowd in the middle of Goldenrod City. They all stared together at the pokeball high above them, resting on a rod made of lights, set to a sequence, alternating colors. It looked so much like a pokeflute, bright with color and bulbs of its own which mirrored the image of the people below. Party hats plastered to their heads and streamers in their hands, they opened their mouths again, "nine," they said together.

It was definitely an accident.

Drew's mind raced as he pushed through people. They didn't notice him in their cheer, didn't clear a path for him, only gazed with their glazed, happy eyes in confusion when Drew's shoulder shoved against their own, moving them out of his way.

It was definitely probably an accident.

"Drew!" Came a voice, May's voice. They hadn't seen each other in almost a year; after their last fight. It had been a big fight about something, Mew only knew what. Drew couldn't remember. It was probably nothing ... Or at least, that's what Drew had thought at first, convinced that May had just over reacted, that she would calm down in a matter of hours. She would return to him. But she hadn't. May had left him. Drew picked up speed.

"Eight," cheered the crowd around him.

Their eyes had locked just as hers were fluttering closed, her lips very nearly on the lips of some man Drew vaguely recognized. Drew had turned away then, his head felt light with the speed. Drew hated the thought of May with someone. Drew hated the thought of May with someone who was not him.

It was definitely probably an accident. Maybe.

Coincidentally, "it's probably nothing" was exactly what Drew had said to May which had started that fight almost a year ago, and the 'it' to which he had referred was a conversation. A conversation between May and his then girlfriend –– who had started traveling with them –– and the nothing that he thought of 'it' was exactly how much May had thought he had cared for that girlfriend's jealousy bringing May to tears in that very harsh and hateful conversation.

"Seven," laughed the crowd in Goldenrod.

It probably wasn't accident, Drew realized.

The name of Drew's then girlfriend was Haley. She was a pretty girl and seemed nice and she was an okay coordinator. Drew's mom wanted them to try a relationship and Drew was very close to his mom and May showed no signs of returning his affection so he had agreed. Haley was also quick to anger and spiteful and Drew had tried to break up with her on three separate occasions before she had invited herself to travel with he and May.

Haley followed the two through all of Johto and part of Sinnoh, where May would eventually leave them. The conversation she had had with May was one-sided and amounted to something along these lines: _Drew thinks you're annoying, and we're very committed to each other ... you see where this is going right, May? You should save yourself the heartache and leave us before he tells you himself, I've asked him not to just yet because we're friends. I see the way you look at him, that would just crush you wouldn't it? _

_"Go back to Hoenn May Maple, there's no space for you here," she had said._

In reality, Drew had been in no way committed to Haley, and had officially declared their relationship over that morning. When he'd said those devastating words: "it's probably nothing," he said them with the idea that whatever Haley did meant nothing to him, but what May had _heard_ was that her feelings meant nothing, confirmed by Drew himself.

So May went back to Petalburg.

She ate a pint of ice cream a day for almost a week, watched crappy romance movies on the couch in the afternoons, annoyed the living daylights out of Max,

("May!" The vaguely familiar man behind May yelled.)

and reunited with Brendan.

"Six," the crowd hollered.

It definitely probably wasn't an accident.

Drew sidestepped a very dull witted fellow who was laughing into a glass in his hand, and turned a corner onto a desolate cobblestone street. The snow reached the ground here, settling loosely there –– it crunched under Drew's purple boots. May ran in after him and, panting, grabbed his shoulder.

"Drew!" She yelled, and it was loud because there were no people around them but also because her face was very close to his ear. He clutched it and grimaced, turning on her. "Sorry, " May said, quieter.

"Five," the voices in the crowd were softer. They echoed on the brick buildings in a hushed way.

"It wasn't an accident," said Drew. He was dazed and all he could think about was that May had found someone, and that they were celebrating the new year together. He felt sick.

It wasn't an accident.

"What?" Asked May. There was a pause. Drew stood before her in all his forgotten beauty. His arrogance lost and his smirk oddly displaced. He didn't look himself.

"That kiss," responded Drew, "the one you were giving when I saw you," it took a moment, but May noticed his voice was shaking, "it wasn't an accident."

She looked very confused as she stared at Drew, bewilderment and reflection made her eyes sparkle and dim and gaze far, far away as she tried to make sense of his words. Her gloved hand went to her mouth in shock.

She laughed.

"Four!" exclaimed the crowd in the background, distant.

May giggled into her glove and her cheeks, pale in the cold weather, grew red and warm.

"I didn't kiss Brendan," she said, still laughing lightly into her glove, her hot breath turned white in the cold winter air and disappeared above their heads, "I was telling him that I thought I saw you," May poked Drew lightly on his nose and Drew instantly removed his hand from his pocket, where it hid, to rub it. It was something he could never let be –– having his nose touched and not rubbing it –– May knew. "I leaned in because it was loud and he couldn't hear me," explained May.

Drew missed how red she got and how cute she was and how oblivious and how out of place she always seemed.

"Would it have bothered you if I had?" She asked, the inquisitive look in her eyes betrayed her innocence, the question was not meant to mock. Drew brushed the bangs on his forehead, frowning slightly.

"Of course not," he said, incredulous.

There was a pause between them, too short to be, but verging on an awkward silence. The crowd broke in:

"Three," they chimed.

May's eyes darted to Drew's lips, skimmed over his face and then darted away. She blushed scarlet and coughed lightly to distract herself.

"I haven't been back to Goldenrod since we were here together––" she said. She wanted to hear him, wanted to talk to him. She added uncertainly: "... with Haley, do you remember?" Drew nodded, but his face scrunched at the name, "h-how is she ... by the way?" May asked.

"What do you mean?" Asked Drew. He was watching her like he'd been starved of her. If it had been a different time –– less tense than this –– he would have teased her, or thrown a snowball at her maybe, he would have smirked and grinned and possibly, he would have run his hands through her hair just to ruffle her up. Their pokemon might have been running around behind them. They might have been in the thick of the crowd in the distance, his arm around her shoulder as she yelled out the numbers and he snuck sidelong glances at her, admired her. He couldn't do any of these things. "I haven't seen her since I broke up with her," Drew said, "that day in Sinnoh, the same day you left..." Drew had missed her cluelessness and her smile and her rage.

"Two," the crowd said softly.

"What?" May was dumbfounded, and it showed on her face. For his part, Drew was also confused, and he didn't know what to say so he didn't say anything, just moved his hands in his pockets and stared above her, into the crowded plaza past their street. May tried to remember the argument in Sinnoh ––the last time she'd seen Drew–– tried to remember the signs he'd given off that he didn't want her there. He had been aloof and annoyed, when Haley had confronted her Drew had just walked off, told her to get ready to head out and he'd seemed distracted as he and Roserade wandered down the path to find the river for water to boil. At the time, she had thought he was acting that way because she had annoyed him. May had never particularly liked Haley, hadn't been happy to travel with her, but she would have done anything for the sake of Drew's happiness. If he'd just broken up with Haley, or was planning to do so, the way he acted could have just as easily been because of her.

"One," the square erupted and then grew so silent Drew's ears rang.

"I misunderstood that day," said May, laughing, her voice breaking that deafening silence. "I misunderstood that day..." she said it again to grasp the concept, and covered her face with her gloved hands, chuckling lightly to herself as the understanding raced across her mind, before she could stop it she was giggling and sobbing softly, she hoped Drew wouldn't notice, but he did when he looked back at her, and when a tear escaped her hands and rolled down her jaw, he brushed it away, giving her a half grin for reassurance.

"Whatever I did May, I'm sorry, don't cry," Drew whispered.

"Zero!" Roared the crowd in the distance, but May didn't hear them and she shook her head, wiping the palm of her hand over her eye.

"I'm going to kiss you, okay?" May said.

Standing on tippy-toes she dragged Drew down to her, he'd gotten taller. His eyes widened and his confusion was only amplified but he didn't pull away, didn't even try, and when she kissed him, he kissed her back. He smirked into her lips, but he didn't know why.

Happiness, maybe.

The glass pokeball dropped and shattered in a defining way on the central street of Goldenrod, created to break so finely that the debris was just glitter at the feet of the crowd which was gathered there. Fireworks erupted in the sky and noisemakers filled the air with festive sounds and a sense of glee which was equal parts joyous and melancholic. At the edge of the crowd, a man bent down at the waiste and took a deep breath before breaking into a lighter jog.

Brendan reached the street where May had vanished and prepared to venture down it. He stopped at the mouth of the street and glanced around, saw May and Drew. He scratched his neck and chuckled awkwardly, finding his presence unnoticed, but probably unwanted. Brendan left them, whistling _Auld Lang Syne._

_Where'd you go, where'd you go, why'd you leave this space,_

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_ I like using Mew as the 'god' pokemon in May/Drew stories because Mew is a mashup of their names and I think I'm clever so I'd appreciate it if you all just humored my idiocy. :]_

_I'm a little upset about this because I wrote it a week ago, and each time I've gone back to edit I've had to change something, and I still keep catching mess ups, but it's a process..._

_Happy New Year my friends, may it bring you purpose, patience and leniency in the judicial system. Cheers!_


End file.
